“Immigration reform has not been on Washington’s agenda lately, but that may change soon. . . .: The debate over immigration is so difficult because it twists together at least two distinct and challenging subjects: economics and culture. On the economics at least, there should be no further debate: Immigration is a net gain. The cultural arguments against immigration are harder to counter, but addressing some of the economic anxieties could help ease some of the cultural ones.
“Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions, mastermind of the harshest border polices in recent history, articulated both the economic and cultural cases against immigration in a 2017 speech, saying that millions of people from around the world want to come to the U.S., but the U.S. could not accept them all. Doing so, he said, would drive down wages for struggling Americans and overwhelm the ability of society to assimilate them.
“On the first assertion, the data show otherwise. . . . Proving or disproving the second assertion is harder. Proponents of greater immigration often point out that until 1875 the U.S. had no restrictions on immigration at all, and few against Europeans until 1924. That period saw an enormous boom in U.S. economic power and the development of a unique culture envied around the world, based on the assimilation of immigrants from scores of far-flung nations.
“Proponents of less immigration point out that the percentage of foreign-born Americans today is approaching the highs of the early 20th century. Those levels induced a sharp cultural backlash and, eventually, the passage of the Immigration Act of 2014, which led to sharp quotas based on national origin. Today, even as 75 percent of Americans say that immigration is on the whole a good thing, only 33 percent actually want to see immigration levels increased. And 81 percent of Americans view illegal immigration as a ‘critical’ or ‘important’ threat to the country.
“The polling indicates a potential path forward: Both sides should accept the public’s embrace of current levels of immigration. Republicans would abandon their demands to reduce overall immigration. Democrats would abandon attempts at increasing immigration through further decriminalization or lax enforcement. . . . This type of compromise. . . . could bring clarity to the issue and, in time, reduce the influence of extreme voices.” – How to Male Progress in the Immigration Debate, Bloomberg Opinion, 8/15/21 [Link]
Fact Check of Above Quote: The compromise proposed by this writer is no compromise at all. It calls for continuation of massive legal immigration, now running at the highest sustained level in our history. For the past thirty years we’ve averaged about one-million legal immigrants a year. In exchange for accepting this seemingly endless tsunami of newcomers, immigration restrictionists we get a promise that we’ll finally see enforcement of our laws against illegal immigration. How many times have we had such promises, only to see them broken? No, this not a fair deal at all.
The Bloomberg editorialist states correctly that immigration between 1875 and 1924 contributed to our country’s economic progress. As a developing country in the 19th century we needed extra hands to build and expand. But by the early 20th century we were being overwhelmed. Immigration drove down workers’ wages and contributed to the growth of urban slums. These conditions promoted unrest and radicalism. Many commentators worried about the failure of assimilation and the increasing fragmentation of society.
In response, we wisely put the brakes on mass immigration in 1924. Over the next four decades until 1965, wages increased, and vast numbers of Americans, including immigrants and their children rose from poverty or near-poverty to the middle class. Assimilation was working. Contrary to the editorialist’s claim, 1924 to 1965 saw the “greatest boom” in U.S. economic power and achievement.
Since renewal of mass immigration since the sixties, wage levels have stagnated. Immigration, contrary to this author, has significantly harmed low income Americans. Our middle class has declined, and “diversity” has weakened unity. The editorialist misleads by claiming that the public “embraces” the status quo. Pulse Opinion Research reveals that most Americans want less immigration.
Any deal on immigration must include a significant cut in the present excessive level of legal immigration. Anything less will compromise the future of our country.